Caitlin Hayes tears into Rangers for ‘letting women’s football down’ as Celtic star takes stand against fan lockout.
In a harsh social media message, Hayes harshly criticized Rangers and demanded that no away supporters be let to watch the derby.
Celtic women’s defender Caitlin Hayes criticized Rangers for ‘letting women’s football down’ by excluding supporters from the derby on Sunday.
Due to security concerns, the Ibrox club abruptly announced over the weekend that all away tickets for their Sunday matchup against the top-of-the-table opponent were canceled. As the two teams battled out an exciting 1-1 draw live on BBC Alba, no away fans were officially permitted in. Many believed that the SWPL’s marquee match deserved better.
That was certainly the view from the small number of Celtic punters who did manage to wangle access to the ground. TV cameras caught the players celebrating in front of a tiny band of visiting fans, who sported T-shirts with the message ‘football without fans is nothing.’ And now defender Hayes, who lifted her shirt at full-time to display one of those T-shirts underneath, has let rip with a scathing social media statement.
She said: “Football without fans is nothing. Today women’s football in Scotland was let down. In a weekend where the Emirates was sold out and the growth of the game took an applause, the same could not be said 401 miles away.
“You simply can’t advertise a fixture based upon the opportunity to see representation on a stage, with the false intent to grow the “When the opponent isn’t given the same opportunity to be represented on stage, it is simply impossible to promote a fixture with the fictitious goal of growing the game.
Eliminate color and you’re depriving young girls in particular of the chance to realize their potential, should they have that goal. That dream is inclusive of everyone, regardless of the color you wear, much like the pillars around which women’s football was constructed.
“Whatever the circumstances may be; don’t host if you can’t accommodate, plan and fund, accordingly. It’s the reputation of the game that gets damaged. A reputation we are ALL collectively building.”
Some speculated that the lockout was an extension of the rivalry between the Rangers and Celtics men’s teams, in which away fans are now prohibited from entering. This was not mentioned in the Ibrox club’s statement announcing the ticket cancellation, but Celtic firmly retaliated against their rivals for not enabling visiting fans to attend in a secure manner.
“Celtic Football Club was informed this morning that all away tickets for tomorrow’s women’s SWPL match at Ibrox Stadium will be canceled,” the statement stated. The decision to refuse entry to a large number of supporters is extremely disappointing,
especially in light of the fact that the home club had several options to enable our supporters to attend in a stadium of this size safely and in light of the anticipated turnout. This is especially true at a time when a great deal of effort is being made to support and promote women’s football in Scotland.”
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